Redefining “Senior Moments”

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 by Jacqui Howell

Modern seniors are redefining the term “senior moment” with new attitudes and new outlooks on aging. The Vi Next Chapter study assessed approximately 800 adults in the U.S. between the ages of 65 and 80, finding that today’s seniors have a whole new perspective on senior moments.

A senior moment could be forgotten car keys, a missed appointment, or mismatched socks. But today’s senior population says they’ve got too much to look forward to, and a staggering majority — 83% — say they feel younger than they are.

A surprising fact, considering the economy, is that few adults in this age group worry about money far less than they worry about their health. 80% of survey participants said they worried about declining health, while just 17% reported fears of not having enough money to get by. Accordingly, this same population is taking steps to preserve their health, by exercising more than 2-3 hours each week (60%), preparing their own meals from scratch (80%), and eating healthy (97%).

Seniors are also viewing retirement differently than past generations. Retirement to modern seniors doesn’t mean they’ll stop being productive. Over half of those surveyed said they’re looking forward to traveling and spending time with family, and more than a third say they’ve become more adventerous as they’ve gotten older. 98% say retirement should be a fun experience, and 86% plan to make that stage of their lives more fun and exciting than their own parents did.

To satisfy this demanding and adventerous group, modern retirement communities and assisted living facilities should focus on aspects that allow seniors to live active and healthy lifestyles, such as opportunities for socialization and exercise.